The Four Sangkhaha-Vatthu and the Happiness of Experienced Dharma Practitioners in a Dharma Retreat Center

Abstract

This research is a survey research aiming to study the happiness of people who have been practicing Dharma in a Dharma retreat center. The relevant and influential factors which could determine and predict the happiness of those who have previously practiced Dharma included gender, age, education level, income, and the Sangkhaha-vatthu 4 principle. Research data was collected from 331 samples, who had practiced dharma in temples or religious institutions, responded to questionnaires via the Google survey online system. Then the data was taken to be analyzed by using statistics such as percentage, mean, standard deviation, Pearson's Correlation Coefficient, and multiple regression analysis.

The results of this research showed that the majority(92.5%) of those who had practiced Dharma in the Dharma retreat center was very much happy with a score of 4 or higher,  it also found neither unhappiness people nor less happy. The mean of total happiness score was 3.86, the factors which had a statistically significant correlation with the happiness of those who had previously practiced Dharma in the Dharma retreat center was at the 0.05 level including age, income, and the Sangkhaha-vatthu 4 principle of those who have previously practiced Dharma. Additionally, factors associated with the prediction of happiness of those people who had practiced Dharma in a Dharma retreat center were age, income, and Sangkhahavatthu 4 principle, with a prediction of 31.40%.

Some beneficial suggestions from this research in nourishing the happiness of those Dharma practitioners were: the Dharma retreat center should organize the format of Dharma practice course and accessible channels that allow practitioners to receive advices about Dharma, if encountering problems or obstacles while practicing, to prevent conversation among practitioners as these conversations could lessen the happiness in the factor of faith in living the righteous life; and the Dharma retreat center should also consider about the Sangkhaha-vatthu 4 principle, age, and income of the practitioners.